General Advice

It is vital that every participant visits their doctor or travel clinic at least 2 months prior to departure in order to get the latest advice on vaccinations and medications for the region. Some people are not able to have certain injections, so we cannot give blanket advice over which vaccinations you need. It is also worth checking the Travel Health Pro website or the Centres for Disease Control for up to date advice. This advice is based primarily on UK government guidance, and if local advice is preferred this should be sought separately.

Vaccinations

Everybody must see a doctor or travel nurse to get official advice on which vaccinations are necessary.

Rabies: Your health professional may ask you whether you will be at an increased risk of rabies. It is not compulsory to get the rabies vaccinations as you will not be handling mammals and we have protocols in place to ensure that in the very unlikely event that you were bitten by a potential rabies vector, appropriate treatment could be given within a suitable timeframe. The only exception to this are those doing a dissertation on bats, who we require to be vaccinated.

Yellow Fever: The yellow fever vaccination is not currently advised for travel to the area that we are working in. However, if you are travelling through or from a yellow fever zone, then you must make sure that you have had the yellow fever vaccination and that you carry your proof of vaccination. Click here for the World Health Organisation’s advice on yellow fever vaccination requirements for international travellers to any country.

Covid 19: We recommend our participants are fully vaccinated against COVID, particularly because we work in remote locations where the local communities may not have been offered the vaccine and medical facilities may be more limited, but this is no longer mandatory to join our expeditions. Proof of vaccination may be required for entry to certain countries or for transiting during travel so please do check in advance.

Other Considerations

Sexual Health

HIV/Aids and Hepatitis B are present in some form in each country that Operation Wallacea operates in, but there is no reason why this should present a problem providing you always act responsibly and practice safe sex.

There is a Hepatitis B vaccine available, as with all other vaccines follow the advice given by your medical professional regarding receiving it.

The effectiveness of the contraceptive pill is compromised in the instance of sickness, diarrhoea and whilst taking antibiotics so please bring alternative methods of contraception, even if you are travelling with your partner.